Major airline CEOs on Wednesday called on Congress to approve billions of dollars in funding to modernize the United States' aging air traffic control system, saying it is "failing Americans." The Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control network's woes have been years in the making.

The current ATC system "is based on an outdated technologies that are unable to meet" modern demands, an administration statement said.

The nation's aging air traffic control system will be replaced with one that is aimed at 21st-century needs while improving safety, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Thursday.